Shoe-fastener.



Pa'ten'ted lune 27, |899.

A. J. A. wALLEN.

SHOE FASTENER.

(Application tiled June 30, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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NITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

ANDREV JOHN ANDERSON VALLEN, OF MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN.

sHoE-FAsTENER'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 627,834, dated June 27, 1899. Application ned time 39,1898. sei-inno. 684,872. (No motti.)

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known th at I, ANDREW J oHN ANDER- SON WALLEN, of Marquette, in the county of Marquette and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in shoe-fasteners. It is designed, primarily, for low shoes, but may also he used to advantage with shoes of various styles and likewise for fasteningleggings.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and inexpensive means for easily and quickly fastening a shoe or legging without lacing or buttoning.

A further object is to provide a fastener attractive in appearance and which may be made of Aprecious metals and ornamented to suit various uses, such as bridal or fancydress shoes.

The fastener comprises two members pivotally connected to each other and also to the iiaps of a slice-upper. One of these members is designed to close down over headed studs or buttons, which are impinged by the sides of such member, and the latter is firmly locked when the other member is lowered, so as to bind said sides against the buttons. Both of these locking members are curved or bowed, so as to conform to the instep ofthe wearer.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a view of a shoe provided with my improved fastener. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detached view showing the fastener unlocked. Fig. 3 is a plan view with the parts locked. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on line 4 4E, Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 6 is a View of a slight modification.

Referring to the drawings, A designates my improved fastener as an entirety, any desired number of which may be used, although I have shown but one applied to a low shoe.

Each fastener comprises two members ct a. The member a consists of a single metallic bar of approximately elongated- U shape. The free ends of this bar, forming the inner end of the member, are hinged to a plate a2 by means of a cross-rod a3, extended through the barrel-like end a4 of said plate. 'lhe said -end of the latter is projected through a slot in the outersection a5 of theshoe-upper. The plate a2 is located between the said outer section and an inner section afi. It is held in place by a U-shaped staple B, having its threaded ends b projected through coincident holes in said plate and sections of the shoe-upper. On these threaded ends of the staple are screwed rounded heads or buttons b, which are preferably formed with opposite peripheral grooves b to accommodate a suitable tool for tightening and loosening or removing the heads or buttons. These latter maybe of any preferred material and for' fancy-dress purposes may be ornamented by precious stones. When the member d is closed down against the upper, it will `sandwich the buttons between its longitudinal sides, which latter are slightly sprung outward thereby. This member is bowed or curved throughout its length to conform to the instep. of the wearers foot. The member ct is also of U shape, being made of a single metallic bar.' The outer free ends of this bar are pivotally attached to thelongitudinal sides of the member a by headed rivets b2. The other or inner end of this member a' is hinged to a plate b3,

'similar to plate a2, locatedbetween the inner staple b4, on the ends of which are heads or buttons b5 similar to those previously described and with which they are in line. The member a is preferably provided with a T- block b5, which is held between .the rounded eyes o7 of plate b3 by means of a short rod bs. This member a is bowed orcurved throughout its length similarly to the member ct. In lieu of the plate b5 an elastic or yielding strip b may be employed.

In practice after a shoe has been placed on the wearers foot the member a is forced down against the upper and into frictional contact with the heads or buttons l). The coacting member ct will hug against the longitudinal sides of the member ct and in addition to serving to increase the lirnpingement of the IOO sides of the latter against the buttons will draw the edge of the iiap to which it is secured up against the edge of the flap on which the member a is mounted. Thus it will be seen that by simply forcing the two pivoted members downward a shoe will be securely fastened on the wearers foot. To unlock or release the fastener, it is only necessary to raise the outer free end of the member a and then to pull the two members apart, so that they will turn on their hinges and also on the pivotal connection between themselves.

From what has been said it will be seen that I have produced an extremely simple and highly efficient fastener for shoes and leggings and the like.

Although I have shown the fastener only applied to a shoe, yet it is obvious that it is within the scope of my invention to use the same on leggings and other articles of personal Wear having flaps which are ordinarily united by buttons or lacing.

If desired, in fancy-dress shoes the lookin g members may be made of gold or silver to add to the beauty or attractiveness of the shoe or slipper.

In providing low shoes or the like forladies wear with my improved fastener it is preferable that one of the members of the fastener be held to the upper by a yielding connection, such as an elastic strip b9, thus enabling the fastener to give to a limited extent and add to the comfort of the wearer. Hence I do not restrict myself to hinging each member of the fastener to a metallic plate.

I claim as my invention-- l. The fastener herein described, comprising two members pivoted at their inner ends to opposite flaps of ashoe-upper, or the like, both of said members being themselves pivotally united at or near the outer end of one of them, and buttons secured to the said flaps, one of said members being designed to engage the said buttons, and the other member to hug the formerand bind it against said buttons, substantially as set forth.

2. The fastenerheren described, comprising two plates secured to opposite flaps of ay shoe, or the like, two members united at. their inner ends to the opposed ends of said plates, both of said members having spacedapart, longitudinal sides, those of one of said members being pivoted to those of the other, near the outer ends of the latter, and buttons secured in line between the longitudinal sides of said members, substantially as set forth.

The herein-described fastener, comprising a plate, a staple extending through said plate having threaded ends, heads or buttons removably secured on said ends, a U-shaped bar hinged to one end of said plate and designed to impinge said buttons between its sides, a second plate, and a second U-shaped bar hinged at one end to said second plate and pivoted at its free end to the sides of said former bar near the free end of the latter, as set forth.

' 4. The combination with a shoe, of a staple having threaded ends projected outwardly through the upper of such shoe, removable heads or buttons on said threaded ends, and a fastener designed to impinge the sides of said heads or buttons, as set forth.

5. The combination with a shoe having plates in its upper, of U-shaped staples having threaded ends extended through said plates, heads or buttons fitted on said threaded ends, and a pivoted fastenerhaving spacedapart sides between which said heads or buttons are designed to lit, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a shoe having heads or buttons on one side of the central opening of its upper, of a fastener comprising two members formed with spaced-apart sides, those of one member being designed to accommodate said heads or buttons, the other of said members being designed to inclos'e and hug the sides of the former member, and a yielding connection between one of said members and said upper, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ANDREW JOHN ANDERSON WALLEN.

Witnesses:

SAML. E. BYRNE, WILLIAM S. HILL. 

